Consumer Science

Mission

Based on a strong core focus on family well-being, consumer behavior, sustainability and ethical leadership, we offer Personal Finance and Retailing and Consumer Behavior, two highly related majors that prepare students for careers in business or public service. Our work is designed to have high impact on solving real societal problems related to families’ economic interactions with the economy

Vision

We are a premier department that attracts the best undergraduate and graduate students and places them in prominent and rewarding careers, by nurturing faculty achievement and sustaining a rigorous curriculum. We and our graduates help to create a marketplace where consumers prevail.

Our undergraduate and graduate programs are interdisciplinary, and faculty have degrees in diverse fields including economics, management, public policy, retailing, sociology, social work, and consumer science.

Research

The Department of Consumer Science increases knowledge about the interaction of consumers as individuals and household members with public and private markets for goods and services. Activities of the department are designed to foster development of a fair marketplace that enhances the interests and well-being of consumers, families, and communities.